Browse news and resources by disease area

Browse malaria and vaccination recommendations by country

Latest SMC decisions

The Scottish Medicines Consortium (SMC) has released its latest recommendations on the use of medications within NHS Scotland.

The angioedema treatment, Firazyr (icatibant acetate), can be self-administered at home | SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY

Approved

icatibant acetate (Firazyr), for the treatment of acute attacks of hereditary angioedema in adults;

everolimus (Afinitor), for the treatment of unresectable or metastatic, well- or moderately-differentiated pancreatic neuroendocrine tumours (pNET) in adults with progressive disease.

Suitable for restricted use

imatinib (Glivec), for restricted use as adjuvant treatment in patients who are at significant risk of relapse following resection of a KIT (CD117)-positive gastrointestinal stromal tumour (GIST);

the collagenase product, Xiapex, for the treatment of moderately severe Dupuytren’s contracture in patients with a palpable cord and up to two affected joints per hand. It is restricted to use as an alternative to limited fasciectomy when percutaneous needle fasciotomy is not considered suitable.

Rejected

The SMC has rejected applications for the following treatments on the grounds that they do not offer value for money:

In addition, tocilizumab (RoActemra) was rejected as monotherapy for the treatment of moderate to severe active rheumatoid arthritis in adults who have responded inadequately to or who were intolerant of previous therapy, including one or more DMARDs or TNF antagonists, as clinical data supporting the case was poor and data for the cost-benefit analysis contained a number of weaknesses.